Standard Lemma guide

auction

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • ôk'shən
  • UK: /ˈɔːkʃən/
  • US: /ˈɔkʃən/
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈɑkʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔːkʃən
  • ŏk'shən
  • Australian: /ˈɔkʃən/
  • rhymes with -ɒkʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 K SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AO1 K SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: roup sale

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The first stage of a deal, in which players bid to determine the final contract.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: bridge, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To sell at an auction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the public sale of something to the highest bidder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: auction sale, vendue

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sale

5

noun

Meaning 5

a variety of bridge in which tricks made in excess of the contract are scored toward game; now generally superseded by contract bridge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: auction bridge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bridge

6

verb

Meaning 6

sell at an auction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: auction off, auctioneer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sell

History

Etymology

From Latin auctiō (“an increase, auction”), from augere (“to increase”).

Across languages

Translations

162 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ankand — public sales event
  • Arabic: مَزَاد (mazād) — public sales event
  • Arabic: مُزَايَدَة (muzāyada) — public sales event
  • Arabic: مزاد (mazād) — public sales event
  • Armenian: աճուրդ (ačurd) — public sales event
  • Asturian: puya — public sales event
  • Azerbaijani: auksion — public sales event
  • Belarusian: аўкцыён (awkcyjón) — public sales event
  • Bengali: নিলাম (nilam) — public sales event
  • Bulgarian: търг (tǎrg) — public sales event
  • Bulgarian: аукцио́н (aukción) — public sales event
  • Burmese: လေလံ (lelam) — public sales event
  • Catalan: subhasta — public sales event
  • Chinese Mandarin: 拍賣 /拍卖 (pāimài) — public sales event
  • Chinese Mandarin: 競賣 /竞卖 (jìngmài) — public sales event
  • Chinese Mandarin: 競拍 /竞拍 (jìngpāi) — public sales event
  • Czech: aukce — public sales event
  • Czech: dražba — public sales event
  • Danish: auktion — public sales event
  • Dutch: veiling — public sales event
  • Esperanto: aŭkcio — public sales event
  • Estonian: oksjon — public sales event
  • Estonian: enampakkumine — public sales event
  • Finnish: huutokauppa — public sales event
  • French: enchères — public sales event
  • French: vente aux enchères — public sales event
  • Galician: poxa — public sales event
  • Galician: almoeda — public sales event
  • Galician: proia — public sales event
  • Galician: subhasta — public sales event
  • Galician: leiloio — public sales event
  • Galician: venduta — public sales event
  • Georgian: აუქციონი (aukcioni) — public sales event
  • German: Versteigerung — public sales event
  • German: Auktion — public sales event
  • Greek: δημοπρασία (dimoprasía) — public sales event
  • Greek: πλειστηριασμός (pleistiriasmós) — public sales event
  • Gujarati: લિલામ (lilām) — public sales event
  • Hebrew: מכירה פומבית \ מְכִירָה פֻּמְבִּית (m'khirá pumbít) — public sales event
  • Hindi: नीलामी (nīlāmī) — public sales event
  • Hindi: नीलाम (nīlām) — public sales event
  • Hungarian: árverés — public sales event
  • Hungarian: aukció — public sales event
  • Icelandic: uppboð — public sales event
  • Ido: auciono — public sales event
  • Indonesian: lelang — public sales event
  • Irish: ceant — public sales event
  • Irish: ceantáil — public sales event
  • Italian: asta — public sales event
  • Japanese: 競売 — public sales event
  • Japanese: 競り売り (seriuri) — public sales event
  • Japanese: 競売り (seriuri) — public sales event
  • Japanese: 競 (seri) — public sales event
  • Japanese: オークション (ōkushon) — public sales event
  • Kazakh: аукцион (auksion) — public sales event
  • Khmer: ការដេញថ្លៃ (kaa dəñ thlay) — public sales event
  • Korean: 경매 (gyeongmae) — public sales event
  • Korean: 옥션 (oksyeon) — public sales event
  • Northern Kurdish: mezad — public sales event
  • Northern Kurdish: muzayede — public sales event
  • Kyrgyz: аукцион (auktsion) — public sales event
  • Lao: ເລຫຼັງ (lē lang) — public sales event
  • Lao: ການປະມູນ (kān pa mūn) — public sales event
  • Latin: auctiō — public sales event
  • Latvian: ūtrupe — public sales event
  • Latvian: izsole — public sales event
  • Lithuanian: aukcionas — public sales event
  • Macedonian: аукција (aukcija) — public sales event
  • Malay: lelong — public sales event
  • Māori: mākete — public sales event
  • Mongolian: дуудлага худалдаа (duudlaga xudaldaa) — public sales event
  • Mongolian: үнэ хаялцуулах (üne xajalcuulax) — public sales event
  • Mongolian: ᠳᠠᠭᠤᠳᠠᠯᠭ᠎ᠠ ᠬᠤᠳᠠᠯᠳᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (daɣudalg-a kudalduɣ-a) — public sales event
  • Mongolian: ᠦᠨ᠎ᠡ ᠬᠠᠶᠠᠯᠴᠠᠭᠤᠯᠬᠤ (ün-e qayalčagulqu) — public sales event
  • Norman: vendue — public sales event
  • Norwegian Bokmål: auksjon — public sales event
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: auksjon — public sales event
  • Pashto: مزايده (mozāyeda) — public sales event
  • Pashto: ليلام (lilām) — public sales event
  • Dari: مُزَایَدَه (muzāyada) — public sales event
  • Dari: لِیلَام (līlām) — public sales event
  • Iranian Persian: مُزایِدِه (mozâyede) — public sales event
  • Polish: aukcja — public sales event
  • Polish: licytacja — public sales event
  • Portuguese: leilão — public sales event
  • Romanian: licitaţie — public sales event
  • Russian: аукцио́н (aukción) — public sales event
  • Serbo-Croatian: ау̀кција — public sales event
  • Serbo-Croatian: aùkcija — public sales event
  • Slovak: dražba — public sales event
  • Slovene: dražba — public sales event
  • Spanish: subasta — public sales event
  • Spanish: remate — public sales event
  • Spanish: almoneda — public sales event
  • Spanish: aucción — public sales event
  • Spanish: licitación — public sales event
  • Swahili: mnada — public sales event
  • Swedish: auktion — public sales event
  • Tagalog: pasalukan — public sales event
  • Tagalog: amboy — public sales event
  • Tajik: музояда (muzoyada) — public sales event
  • Tajik: ауксион (auksion) — public sales event
  • Tamil: ஏலம் (ēlam) — public sales event
  • Telugu: వేలం (vēlaṁ) — public sales event
  • Thai: ขายทอดตลาด (kǎai-tɔ̂ɔt-dtà-làat) — public sales event
  • Thai: การประมูล (gaan-bprà-muun) — public sales event
  • Turkish: açık arttırma — public sales event
  • Turkish: müzayede — public sales event
  • Turkish: mezat — public sales event
  • Ottoman Turkish: مزایده (müzayede) — public sales event
  • Turkmen: auksion — public sales event
  • Ukrainian: аукціо́н (aukción) — public sales event
  • Urdu: نِیلامی (nīlāmī) — public sales event
  • Urdu: نِیلام (nīlām) — public sales event
  • Uzbek: auksion — public sales event
  • Uzbek: auktsion — public sales event
  • Vietnamese: bán đấu giá — public sales event
  • Vietnamese: đấu giá — public sales event
  • Welsh: arwerthiant — public sales event
  • Yiddish: ליציטאַציע (litsitatsye) — public sales event
  • Armenian: վաճառել աճուրդով (vačaṙel ačurdov) — to sell at an auction
  • Asturian: puyar — to sell at an auction
  • Asturian: puxar — to sell at an auction
  • Bulgarian: продавам на търг (prodavam na tǎrg) — to sell at an auction
  • Catalan: subhastar — to sell at an auction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 拍賣 /拍卖 (pāimài) — to sell at an auction
  • Czech: dražit — to sell at an auction
  • Czech: licitovat — to sell at an auction
  • Dutch: veilen — to sell at an auction
  • Finnish: myydä huutokaupassa — to sell at an auction
  • Finnish: huutokaupata — to sell at an auction
  • French: vente aux enchères — to sell at an auction
  • Galician: poxar — to sell at an auction
  • Galician: piñorar — to sell at an auction
  • Galician: rular — to sell at an auction
  • Galician: subhastar — to sell at an auction
  • German: versteigern — to sell at an auction
  • Greek: πλειστηριάζω (pleistiriázo) — to sell at an auction
  • Ancient Greek: ἀποκηρύσσω (apokērússō) — to sell at an auction
  • Irish: cuir ar ceant — to sell at an auction
  • Irish: cuir ceant ar — to sell at an auction
  • Irish: ceantáil — to sell at an auction
  • Italian: vendere all'asta — to sell at an auction
  • Italian: mettere all'asta — to sell at an auction
  • Japanese: 競りにかける (seri ni kakeru) — to sell at an auction
  • Korean: 경매하다 (gyeongmaehada) — to sell at an auction
  • Latin: praeco — to sell at an auction
  • Malay: melelong — to sell at an auction
  • Māori: mākete — to sell at an auction
  • Persian: مزایده (mozâyede) — to sell at an auction
  • Polish: aukcjonować — to sell at an auction
  • Portuguese: leiloar — to sell at an auction
  • Russian: продава́ть с аукцио́на (prodavátʹ s aukcióna) — to sell at an auction
  • Russian: продава́ть с молотка́ (prodavátʹ s molotká) — to sell at an auction
  • Slovene: dražiti — to sell at an auction
  • Spanish: subastar — to sell at an auction
  • Spanish: rematar — to sell at an auction
  • Spanish: licitar — to sell at an auction
  • Swedish: auktionera — to sell at an auction
  • Telugu: వేలం వేయు (vēlaṁ vēyu) — to sell at an auction
  • Turkish: açık artırma — to sell at an auction
  • Turkish: müzayede — to sell at an auction
Real reading context

auction in complete knowledge articles